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- Title:
- Panay to Iloilo via Passi
- Description:
- Food history in the Philippines begins by studying the coastline and river systems of each island. There were no road networks at the 50th year mark. Father Juan Medina, OSA describes Panay town, the rice-rich community Miguel Lopez de Legaspi moved to in 1569, after almost 3 years in Cebu that lacked food. Panay town is on the northern coast of Panay Island. The Augustinians had a large convent there during Medina’s era. It serviced more than 1,200 indios at the town and visitas. Goods from Manila for military expeditions to Maluco and food supplies were brought to Panay town, thus there were some Spanish residents. The large Panay River nearby was the 2-day route to Mambusao that had a convent. Medina writes that the Panay flows slowly and can be ascended readily. It is deep so a frigate can cross over the bar at full tide. At low tide not even the smallest vessel can enter. After a few days back on the river one sees Dumarag then stops at Dumalág from where Augustinians ministered to 1,000 indios. (Notice the sizes of parish populations then.) Anyone heading to Otong where the fort and port were had to take the Dumalag route. There one could be carried while lying in a hammock or hike to a visita named Batobato. From there travellers descended by river or walked if the water was low to Passi at the island’s interior. The Passi convent was built of stone unlike the others that were of wood. Passi serviced 2,000 indios. A convent generally had only 1 to 2 resident priests. The Alaguer River (Halaud River) flows past the convent gates. One sails on it to Dumangas town (formerly Alaguer) on the coast of Iloilo Strait. Supplies were sailed from there following the coast westward to Iloilo where there were more than 100 Chinese married to native women. He felt the immigrants were arriving so rapidly in town that “they will end up peopling the country.” Salog (Jaro) nearby had 1,000 indios but forced subscription (to row boats to Maluco or to fight slave raiders, for instance) by Spanish lessened the population much. Otong was the chief Augustinian convent of Panay Island. This vignette is shared so readers can better sense how slowly any new foods would have been introduced to natives. Old Panay food will be featured in the next vignette. Towns once important to acculturation can lose their lustre. This describes the importance of rivers for transportation, Christian missionary work, establishment of parishes/pueblos, and food security. A generation’s role is to pass on to the next what is safe to eat, where to locate it, how to prepare it, how to store it, and how to keep it available.
- Subjects:
- Panay Iloilo Augustinians Voyages and travels
- Exhibition:
- Juan Medina 50
- Source:
- Detail from ATLAS DE FILIPINAS. Jose Algué, SJ. Manila Observatory Director. 1899. FSM collection.
- Type:
- Image;Still Image
- Format:
- image/jpeg
Source
- Preferred Citation:
- "Panay to Iloilo via Passi", Philippine Food History, Felice P. Sta. Maria
- Reference Link:
- felicepstamaria.net/items/coll116.html